It has become increasingly apparent that, with the rising numbers of elderly people requiring frequent medication, and with the increasing reliance of the medical profession, on occasion, to dispense a plurality of drugs to alleviate specific symptoms, extreme care must be exercised in order that the patient receive the prescribed medication. To further complicate the present situation of elderly people residing in rest homes or convalescent centers, the duty of dispensing the medication frequently falls on inexperienced, and often under paid orderlies or unpaid volunteers who often lack the professionalism of a registered nurse and thus, could not thus assure that the patient will receive the proper and required medication in a timely fashion.
One medication prescreening method, that is a common and accepted practice in the medical services profession, requires that a nurse, or other professional, prepare a tray with, for example, the patients name and room number written on a slip of paper to be included on the tray.
The prescribed medication, usually in a cup or other suitable container, is then brought to the patient to whom the medication is dispensed, in accordance with the instructions issued by the prescribing physician. The physician usually relies on the nurse to further observe the patient to see if there have been any untoward side effect brought on by the medication. The instructions are usually left at the attending nurses station on the patients chart. If the doctor anticipates an allergic or adverse reaction to the prescribed drug or a combination of drugs, this too will be noted for the attending nurse who will be asked to observe any patient reaction, and to to take an appropriate action. This mode of operation may be adequate for those situations where the nurses work load is sufficiently small and all of the patients are known to and are recognized by the person dispensing the medication.
In the situations where the patient-recipient, to whom the medication is to be dispensed, is not known to the nurse or orderly, or where the nurses work load is sufficiently heavy so as to introduce an element of unfamiliarity or lack of acquaintance with both the patient-recipient and the medication the patient is required to have, then there is the possibility that the patient will not receive the medication intended and instead, will receive the medication intended for another. Obviously, this is a situation to be avoided at all costs.